1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to an apparatus and method for lifting buried housings or other articles and, more specifically, to the field of lifting buried housings which surround either irrigation components or electrical equipment such as might be found on a golf course.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
For various reasons, it is often necessary to raise certain objects. Therefore, a variety of mechanisms have been designed for lifting objects ranging from vehicle engines to man-hole covers. Sometimes it is also necessary to raise buried objects, such as coffins. In any event, the devices used for these purposes are generally, specifically constructed for their particular use. In other words, the devices are dedicated for use in a particular field and are not readily re-configured to perform non-designated tasks.
There also exist other environments in which buried objects sometimes need to be raised. In particular, at golf courses, certain residences and commercial establishments, it is often common to find in-ground sprinkler and/or wiring systems. In some situations, it is necessary to access certain sections of these systems for repair or control purposes. For example, water control valves and junction boxes associated with sprinkler and wiring systems often need to be made available. Although arranging these system sections above ground level is sometimes a potential solution, often times, above ground mountings are not a viable option. In the case of golf courses, a sprinkler control valve or other system component may have to be located right in the middle of a fairway, directly adjacent a putting green or in another location which would make an above-ground mounting impermissible.
For this reason, it is not uncommon to bury a housing or box which surrounds the buried system component or section, with the housing having a cover which is substantially level with the surrounding ground surface. With this arrangement, the cover can be easily removed, while being generally unobtrusive when arranged atop the housing. Unfortunately, due to weather, natural settling and the like, buried irrigation or electrical housings will settle below the surface of the ground. When that occurs, particularly in the case of a golf course, it becomes desirable to raise the housing so that the cover is maintained with its upper surface even with the surrounding landscape.
When such a housing sinks, it is necessary to excavate the earth, raise the housing, support the housing at a desired level, back-fill the soil, and reseed the area. Obviously, this is a labor intensive process which requires several hours to accomplish, not to mention the time required for the grass to regenerate.
Based on the above, there exists a need in the art for an apparatus and method for use in connection with lifting buried housings which have settled or otherwise sunk below a desired ground level in a cost and time effective manner. In addition, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for lifting a buried housing without the need to excavate the area surrounding the housing.
The present invention is particularly directed to a method and apparatus for raising buried housings without the need to excavate the surrounding earth. This ability will reduce both labor costs and the time required for the landscape to replenish itself.
The buried housing raiser arrangement of this invention includes a frame, a plurality of support legs, a plurality of lifting members for attaching the frame to the buried housing, and a device for raising the frame, and thereby the buried housing, relative to a supporting ground surface. While it is understood that this invention contemplates the ability to raise and lower a variety of buried articles, and by buried it is meant both fully and partially buried articles, the invention has particular applicability in connection with raising buried housing used to surround buried irrigation or electrical components, such as those typically found on a golf course.
In accordance with the invention, when it becomes necessary to raise a buried housing, the apparatus of the invention is placed above the housing, and the lifting members are positioned on the frame so as to be located above the housing. The lifting members are then attached to the housing, thereby interconnecting the frame and the buried housing. Thereafter, the entire frame is raised relative to the ground in order to draw the housing from the ground to a desired height. Once the housing is raised, the void below the housing is back-filled, the housing is disconnected from the frame and the apparatus is removed. Finally, the housing and the surrounding ground area can be tamped into place. In this manner the buried housing can be efficiently re-positioned with minimal effort and disturbance of the surrounding landscape.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.